Attention:
Operation of the Ultra-Wideband Ice Radar requires experienced personnel on board the aircraft.
The high total weight of the Ultra-Wideband Ice Radar system strongly limits flight distances.
Summary
The Ultra-wideband ice radar is a 150-600 MHz VHF radar used for penetration of thick ice masses. It offers high power, fine range resolution, and very good cross-track resolution.
Sensor-Info: aircraft:bt-67:uwb_ice, 6809
Manufacturer | Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) |
---|---|
Model | UWB-Ice (Standard) |
Serial No. | n/a |
Type | radar system |
Contacts
Name | Institution | Role |
---|---|---|
Daniela Jansen | Alfred-Wegener_Institut | Device Contact |
Components and Specifications
The UWB Ice system comprises the antenna array and several rack mount units. Four 1000 W amplifiers and four 500 W amplifiers are housed by two racks. The main radar rack is used for installation of the electronics such as 2 National Instruments PXI 1085 units, 1 National Instruments PXI 1075 unit, 1 waveform generator (DDS), a server and a T/R chassis (see images above). The system excluding the antenna array and the racks themselves weighs about 340 kg. The LH wing antenna array and the right wing antenna array weigh ~205kg each while the fuselage antenna array weighs about 215 kg. The system additionally requires rack installations of 115 VAC / 60Hz inverters, two 115 VAC / 60Hz UPS, one 230 VAC UPS and a S.M. server which together amount to 165 kg. The high total weight thus strongly limits flight distances.
Position
Antennas are installed under the wings and under the fuselage. Electronic devices and data aquisition are installed within racks in the aircraft cabin. |
Data logging, storage and archiving
Logged parameter
Parameter | Sensor Output Type | Unit |
---|---|---|
ice thickness | radar images | m |
ice layering | radar images | cm |